The Muse and The Well
You’re either at the well, or not; the water’s depth is secondary.
Learning an instrument
When you begin learning an instrument, you’re immediately attuned to the immense breadth of dexterity, musical knowledge, and experience you don’t have. How long will it take to be decent at this instrument? One year of practice? Two? Five? Ten? You’ll spend hours and hours practicing, all in the hopes of one day being able to play a song for your family, record a tune for YouTube, or perform in a recital.
The dream of being a competent musician fuels many a beginner, but feels so far away. One day I’ll be able to play, one day… But play what? Chopin’s 1st Piano Concerto in E minor? Or maybe Debussy’s Claire de Lune. Perhaps you simply want to be able to play Yiruma’s River Flows In You. These classical piano pieces will certainly require months or years of training to eventually play.
But what if you don’t have to wait years to competently play piano or whatever other instrument interests you? Welcome to jazz. Jazz, the blues, and their offshoots– soul, neosoul, funk, lofi, hip-hip, electronica, etc.– are some of the only genres where you can sound virtually like a pro within day one of learning an instrument. This simply takes:
The ability to hit one note well on your instrument.
Knowing when to hit that note.
While you won’t sound like Chick Corea or Taylor Eigsti with this strategy, you certainly don’t need advanced piano skills to play worthwhile music, all you need is the right context and some heart.
Context: a band or backing track playing behind you.
Heart: find one note that works, and mean it.
The multi-instrumental nature jazz and its familial offshoots affords the beginner the ability drop out without hindering the music. If the bassist is holding down the bass, the drummer is keeping rhythm, and a guitarist is filling in harmonies, you can comfortably play on and off this one mighty note in your arsenal.
Some instruments are much more approachable for a novice: it’s easier to play one note well on the piano than on a bass or guitar. Nonetheless, within a few minutes minimum, to a couple of hours maximum, you can learn to successfully execute a single note for most instruments.
Now that you can play one note, you can play music! Music is, after all, a beautiful amalgamation of one-notes. The quality of music depends on whether these notes are well-executed, fit the musical context, and are played with heart. Playing your one note on a piano, alongside a backing track or a jazz trio, makes these three building blocks of quality music easily attainable to someone who’s never played before.
Building Block #1: Execution (How to play the note)
The way you hit your note should match the quality of the music playing behind you. It is intense or gentle? Loud or quiet? Harsh or soft? Fast or slow? Strike the note strongly or gently to match the music.
Building Block #2: Context (When to play the note)
When’s the best time to play the note? Listen to when the background music is happening. Time your note with the hit of a ride cymbal, or the low hum of the bass. It’s important to practice playing your note with correct rhythm: this simple factor makes all the difference as to whether you’ll sound like a novice or a pro.
Building Block #3: Heart
Don’t lose sight of the purpose of music: spiritual/emotional fulfillment. With this in mind, think of the feeling the backing track or band you’re playing along to is conveying. Joy? Sorrow? Nostalgia? Whatever the emotion of the music, you want to be in tune with it and try to pass it forward to whoever is listening to you.
The Well
Conceptualize music creation with this analogy of a water well. Imagine the well runs 100 feet deep, and it is full of water. This water well represents musicianship. A brand new piano student only has access to the first foot of water. If you’ve been playing an instrument for 8 years, you may be able to draw from 8 feet deep. Professional artists can draw water from deep within the well: 50 feet, 70 feet, 100 feet! In this epistemology, what does it matter whether you can draw well water from one foot deep or 100 feet deep? All of the water shares the same provenance, and essentially provides the same benefit: physical nourishment in the case of water, and spiritual nourishment– The Muse– in the case of music. One’s concern should be solely whether or not that are at the well.
Too many of us stand afar off, envying those prodigious musicians who can draw from the bottom of the well. We’re dissuaded from even practicing our instrument, thinking: how could I ever play piano like Cory Henry? The truth is– you may not be able to play the same notes as Cory Henry without decades of practice and experience, but you can still play like him with very little practice. At the end of the day, Cory Henry is still playing music, whether it is through many notes or few. A professional musician is deeply connected with the soul of the notes coming through their fingers. Their emotions and intentions are in tune with the intention of the music. This connection is available to all musicians regardless of level and talent. By focusing on the three building blocks of quality music– execution, context, and heart– an aspiring musician with minimal practice can freely play worthwhile and meaningful music.
